


Spiderboy

by TheCityLightShow



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: But really this is just fluff, FTM Peter Parker, Fluff, Gen, mentions of dysphoria and of people being douchebags, trans!peter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-31
Updated: 2017-08-31
Packaged: 2018-12-22 06:50:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11961978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCityLightShow/pseuds/TheCityLightShow
Summary: Mr Stark shrugged, the action oddly-nonchalant against May’s grin. “An updated suit -not the new one- with May’s permission,” was all he said, and Peter was immediately curious as to how on earth he could improve upon what was already a masterpiece when Mr Stark continued; “so you don’t need to wear a binder underneath.”In which Peter is trans and Tony is 100% in his corner.





	Spiderboy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [itsallAvengers](https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsallAvengers/gifts).



> This is a gift for itsallavengers over on **[tumblr](http://itsallavengers.tumblr.com/)**. You should read everything they've written, it's all amazing :D

Tony Stark was sat in his living room again.

The last time this had happened, he’d been dragged to Berlin, fought a man the size of the Chrysler building and stolen Captain America’s shield. He was a little more than nervous – especially since Aunt May had found out about that little escapade, along with all the rest. She hadn’t been pleased about the true nature of the Stark Internship, nor about the whole incident with the Decathlon… but she’d been proud. Of how he chose to use what he could do, and of his decisions afterwards. She’d ranted angrily about reckless endangerment, and threatened to storm up state to the Avengers facility and demand of Tony Fucking Stark just _what_ he thought he was doing with her kid- but none of that anger (and it had lasted for days) was on her face right now. In fact, she looked rather emotional… good emotional.

Peter wasn’t sure he’d ever seen her look like that, not even when she’d been so proud of his trust in her that he felt safe in coming out.

“Ah! There’s the guy!” Mr Stark called out, grinning – look none too composed himself – and Peter left his bag by the door, cautiously coming further into the apartment.

“Mr Stark?” Peter asked quietly, sitting when May glared at him to do so. “What’s going on?”

Mr Stark shrugged, the action oddly-nonchalant against May’s grin. “An updated suit -not the new one- with May’s permission,” was all he said, and Peter was immediately curious as to how on earth he could improve upon what was already a masterpiece when Mr Stark continued; “so you don’t need to wear a binder underneath.” Peter froze, instantly feeling kind of sick – the kind of sick that made him want to curl up under the covers where no one could see him, no one could call him Penniless Penny or Penelope in any form, where dresses weren’t still expected of him and make-up stains didn’t still linger on his dresser.

“You- how?” Peter asked weakly, not bolting only because May was smiling softly – he wondered what Tony could possibly have said to abate her considerable protectiveness.

“Karen, as you call her. She still transmits all the readings from your suit back to Friday.” Mr Stark smiled softly. “You could do some serious damage to your body wearing a binder while you’re being Spiderboy-“

“-Spiderman-“ Peter protested weakly, knowing what Mr Stark said was the truth but quite unable to believe it was _Mr Stark_ saying it.

“- and then who will I be financing top surgery for?” He continued, and Peter felt his mouth drop open.

“I- Mr Stark- You don’t have to-“ Peter began to protest, but Mr Stark simply held up a to stop him.

“No, I don’t.” He said, and the words almost seemed cold, perhaps a challenge, but Mr Stark shook his head. “Look, son,” Peter brightened stupidly at the term, though it went seemingly unnoticed, “I have been up for too long, wanting to get this suit here, and reading everything a- uh- guardian, of a trans guy should know. You already said, just once, that you and May make it by. Let me do this. Surgeries, hormones… you shouldn’t have to worry about being able to pay to be who you are. Call it your wage for being a superhero, if you want.” Mr Stark shrugged, watching Peter expectantly with warm, serious brown eyes. For lack of an ability to English around the lump in his throat, he nodded.

“Good! I’ll be in touch.” He clapped his hands together, grinned at him both, and by the time Peter was able to speak, he was gone. May sat back down from seeing him to the door smiling through tearful eyes.

“Oh Peter, isn’t that brilliant?” she asked, and Peter could only swallow, nod again.

_No more binders_. What a thought that was. Free breathing, flat-chested… he could stand in the mirror and see himself. Peter looked up at May, knowing he was grinning, and happily accepting a tighter hug.

 

\---

 

The New York Times had a picture of Mr Stark on the cover, middle finger shoved in the face of some guy, and Facebook blew it up – because the man had given an eleven-minute lecture to a transphobic man in a coffee shop. Mr Stark must’ve been incognito, had handed his card to the girl behind the counter with an offer of a chance to be herself, before kindly excusing himself and punching the guy in the face.

Peter totally didn’t cry.

May totally didn’t frame the article proudly, with a “look how you inspired _Tony Stark_ ”.

 

(Peter totally looked at that headline, STARK SUPPORTS TRANS RIGHTS, every time he got home from a hard day.)

 

\---

 

“Yo! Penny!”

Peter winced, Flash’s voice cutting easily through the crowd, but he didn’t turn. Penelope was someone else, a role he’d played for 13 and a half years but never been, not really. He carried on walking, but Flash was still calling after him. It’d be ringing in his ears all day, Penny, Penny, Penny… he should’ve worn the binder – but his ribs were still sore from the whole stopping-Mr-Stark’s-stuff-being-stolen thing, and he was only a B-cup! Baggy jumpers (thank you for the loan Ned) hid it well- but it was like Flash saw, like he always saw and- Peter hadn’t looked up in time, and he crashed straight into the door.

He ignored Ned calling out to ask if he was okay, ignored the laughter of kids he didn’t know and barely recognised, Flash’s laughter sounding loudest of all, and began to walk off into Queens, just wanting to get away. He missed people gaping at the car pulling up, gasps and shouts and phones being pulled out as the driver got out – he noticed, however, Mr Stark calling out “Hey, Mr Parker, just the guy I’m looking for!”

Peter turned, hastily wiping his eyes, hunching despite the instinct to stand up straight like he was being inspected, hoping that Mr Stark wouldn’t see he’d been about to cry, that he wouldn’t see _why_. “Mr Stark?”

“Internship duty calls, Peter.” He flashed that grin, waving to some of the teens with phones, and Peter thought for a moment – waking to wake up from this mostly terrible and suddenly crazy day – before getting into the front of the car with him.

“Don’t worry about the pictures,” Mr Stark muttered as he got in and Peter did his seatbelt up, “small signal will short them out and delete them when we set off.” He wasn’t looking at Peter as he said it, concentrating on setting off – concentrating too hard – and Peter was surprisingly grateful. Keeping a mostly normal life only worked if he stayed out from under the eye of the media.

They drove out of Queens, Tony fiddling with the radio one handed and humming along to the AC/DC he found playing. Peter stayed quiet, but as they continued out of the city, his mounting curiosity got the better of him. “So, what’s the emergency Mr Stark?” he asked. Tony blinked hard, partially like he’d forgotten Peter was there, but not quite. He grinned brightly, laughing.

“Oh, I just wanted ice cream, and the board meeting was really boring, so I figured my favourite spiderguy might want to eat his weight in it with me.” Mr Stark was still grinning when he turned back to the road, though there was a slight stiffness to his shoulders, and Peter had to take a moment to replay that sentence in his head.

“…we’re going for ice cream?” he asked, confused.

“You like ice cream?”

“I- of course I do!” He protested.

“Then we’re going for ice cream.” Mr Stark said firmly, shoulders dropping a little – if Peter didn’t know he was _Tony Stark, Avenger and Genius_ , Peter would’ve said he was nervous. “And seriously, son, call me Tony. Mr Stark makes me feel ancient.”

“Like Captain America?” Peter joked weakly, pleasantly surprised when Mr Stark- Tony, _laughed_. He looked like he might comment, but he got distracted swearing up a storm at the guy who nicked their parking spot. Tony finds one a few more blocks away, swapping his suit jacket for a zip up hoody and a baseball cap, sunglasses perched on his nose still. Peter’s still grinning from the laughter and the swearing, feeling better than he has all day, when Tony shoves an arm round his shoulders to guide him through the busyish streets to the ice cream parlour.

He orders them both something large and ridiculous with too many toppings, and they sit in a private booth near the back – no one has recognised Tony, save from the girl behind the counter who’d asked if he’d wanted his usual, and they’re not going to be disturbed. Tony’s half way through his first scoop – something alarmingly orange – and Peter has started his second – bugglegum, the first a bright red cherry – when Tony speaks again.

“You’re allowed to cry, you know.” He says, and Peter nearly chokes on the sprinkles atop that last spoonful. “Maybe not _here_ ,” he elaborates, “but I’m never going to think you any less of a dude for it. I cry when I’m having bad days, so if I can cry and still be a guy at the end of it, you definitely can.” Peter has to take a sip of his water to recover, but he can see that Tony is being utterly genuine, if really uncomfortable about it.

“Thank you.” Peter replied, hoping Tony can see how much he means it.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, you can find me at my **[tumblr](http://thecitylightshow.tumblr.com/)**!! I am taking requests for this verse, though general prompts might be more slow; everyone is welcome to just start chatting to me! :D


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